Apparatus for the distribution and injection of compressed air for internal combustion engines



April 25, 1933- J. KONSTANTINOFF 1,906,008

APPARATUS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION AND INJECTION OF COMPRESSED AIR FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed May 2, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l H za 6 2a 7 L O O O r,

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April 25, 1933. J, KONSTANTINOFF 1,906,008

APPARATUS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION AND INJECTION OF COMPRESSED AIR FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed May 2, 1928 2 Sheets-Shet 2 f i 3% x a/ I E Q x 2?? G Q I rwent'ar:

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Patented Apr. 25, 1933 PATENT OFFICE JEAN KONSTAN'IINOFF, OF MEUIJON, FRANCE APPARATUS FOR THEDISTRIBUTION AND INJECTION OF COMPRESSED AIR FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Application filed May 2, 1928, Serial No. 274,639, and in France May 5, 1927.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying compressed air to internal combustion engines contrived to effectcomplete scavenging, cleaning, and feeding of the cylinders, and to proportion the fuel mixture according to the operating conditions of the engine. The apparatus of the invention is applicable to all types of internal combustion engines but is primarily adapted for use with engines having rotary valves.

The invention comprises, in combination, an air compressor driven, from the engine crank shaft, a compressed air reservoir connected to said air compressor, a compressed air distributing valve device operated in synchronism with the engine valve gear and adapted to control the supply of compressed air to the engine cylinders, ensuring expulsion from the engine cylinders of exhaust products which have not been expelled by the ascending pistons, and a regulating device interconnected with the carburetor throttle control mechanism for effecting regulation of the pressure of the air being distributed.

The air distributing device may include a rotary sleeve or may include poppet valves actuated in timed relationship by an overhead shaft or the like, each valve being adapted in the case of poppet valves to control the air supply to two cylinders at timed intervals.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of an internal combustion engine incorporating an air distributing apparatus according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, showing a modified construction in which the distributing device includes poppet valves; Fig. 3 isa group view illustrating a vertical axial section of a rotary distributing sleeve, a plan thereof, and a bottom end View showing the arrangement 4 ofparts; Fig. 4 is a group view illustrating in elevation of the distributing sleeve and showing'the packing rings, associated with the sleeve, some in side elevation and others in transverse section. Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8 are diagrammatic views illustrating the operation of the apparatus. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal cross-section through the motor cylinder.

As shown in the drawings, 1 denotes an air compressor on the shaft of which is a bevel pinion 31 driven by the crank shaft 2 of the engine by means of a bevel gear 3 which also drivesthrough the medium of a pinion 1'an oil pump (not shown) which delivers oil from the crank casing to an upper casingo through the conduit 6.

The air compressor 1 is in continuous connection with the compressed air reservoir 7 provided with a pressure gauge 8 and a cock 9 which permits connection of the reservoir 7 with the pneumatic tires of the Vehicle carrying the engine or with any other consumer of compressed air. With the cock .9 open the reservoir may be emptied if desired. The upper part of the reservoir 7 is 7 connected, through the intermediary of the pipe 10, provided with a cock 11 for regulating purposes, with a. cylinder 12 closed at both ends and provided with as many ports 13, 14, 15, 16 as there are engine cylinders to be supplied, and with which connect pipes 17, 18, 19, 20, one leading to each engine cylinder. Continuously rotatable in the cylinder 12 is a distributing ring or sleeve 21 which presents at the levels of the ports 13, 141, 15, 16 rectangular ports 22, 23, 24, 25 which subtend at the axis of the ring 21 angles which are determined for each engine.

The sleeve 21 is unitary with a shaft 26 penetrating the top of the cylinder 12 and the lower wall of the upper casing 5 wherein it is held on a seat 27 provided with a ball thrust bearing (not shown). Keyed to the upper end of the shaft 26 is a bevel pinion 28 meshing with a like pinion 29 keyed to a horizontal overhead shaft 30 actuating the valves of the engine. The shaft 30 is actuated by means not shown on the drawings, for a speed half that of the crank shaft 2.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 a hollow cylinder 32 is divided into three chambers of which33 is a distributing chamber connected with the reservoir 7 and 34 and 35 are supply chambers each of which com- 100 iii municates with two cylinders of the engine and may be alternately opened to the chamber 33 by descent of one or other of the poppet valves 36, 37 which operate one in each of the chambers 34, 35 and which are controlled, respectively, by cams 38, 39 mounted on the overhead shaft 30.

The air pressure in the cylinder 12 is regulated by the cock 11 whose plug 40 is controlled by a lever 41 having two arms 42, 43 of which the arm 42 is pivotally connected at 44 to an operating rod 45. The arm 43 of the lever 41 has a lost motion connection with the control lever 46 of the carburetor throttle valve through the medium of a connecting rod 47 provided with a slot 48 in which is slidable a stud 49 carried by said arm 43, the arrangement being such that the motion imparted to the lever 46 by the rod 50 will be transmitted to the lever 41 by the rod 47 with a dwell period in which the stud 49 slides in the slot 48. Then the rod 47 is at the end of its travel at the righthand side of Figure 1 the compressed air control cock 11 may be actuated independently of the throttle valve so that the air pressure in the cylinder 12 can be regulated at will.

The rotary distributing sleeve 21 is embraced by ported packing rings 51, 52, 53, 54 of which the ports register, respectively, with the ports 22, 23, 24, 25 in the sleeve, each ring being held in. position.

The distributing sleeve 21 is lubricated through ducts 55 pierced in the metal and in communication with a central duct 56 penetrating the shaft 26 and opening into the upper casing 5 at the mean oil level therein.

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate diagrammatically the operation of an engine having rotary valves.

Referring to Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, 1 represents the rotary air distributing sleeve, C an engine cylinder, D an air cylinder corresponding to the cylinder 12, H the rotary valve ring of the engine cylinder, and p the piston of the engine cylinder.

Considering the cylinder C with the rotary valve ring H at the end of the exhaust stroke; at 15 (for instance) before the exhaust port 0 of the valve ring H has passed the engine cylinder exhaust conduit E (Fig. 5) the port 22 of the rotary sleeve I will register with the corresponding inlet port 13 of the cylinder D.

Compressed air thus enters the cylinder C by way of the pipe 17 and the port a of the valve ring H and expels the waste products of combustion from the compression chamber G. Exhaust ceases and mixture is induced by section of the piston through the cylinder inlet conduit A (Fig. 6) while the port a of the valve ring I-I still admits compressed air and the port 22 of the distributing sleeve I is about to pass beyond the port 13 whereby to cut off the compressed air supply. The piston 19 has now reached the lower dead centre position (Fig. 7) and communication between the sleeve port 22 and the cylinder is terminated, the port 23 of the distributing sleeve I then connecting to ano her cylinder of the engine, and so on.

In Figs. 7 and 8 the piston 79 is commencing, respectively, the compression and firing strokes, it being understood that the cycle recommences when the exhaust port 6 of the valve ring H registers with the exhaust conduit E which is located at the same height in the cylinder C.

These operations take place alternately for each cylinder at an interval of 180 in the rotation of the crank shaft, from the first to the fourth cylinder in the case of a 4-cylinder engine. For two revolutions of the engine crank shaft the air distributing sleeve makes one complete revolution and each of the ports 22, 23, 24, 25 unmasks its relative outlet port located at the same level and thus supplied the corresponding engine cylinder.

The constructions illustrated are given by way of example only, it being understood that modifications may be adopted without depaiting from the spirit of the invention.

For example, the emptying cock 9 and the pressure gauge 8 may be replaced by a safety valve which opens at a predetermined pressure.

. I may explain that it has previously been proposed to employ rotary distribution valves for supplying the various cylinders of an internal combustion engine with scavenging and charging air from a reservoir supplied by a compressor driven by the engine.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In combination with an internal combustion engine, an air compressor driven from the crank shaft of said engine, an air reservoir connected to said air compressor, a compressed air distributing valve device operated in synchronism with the engine valve gear and adapted to control the supply of compressed air to the engine cylinders, ensuring expulsion from the engine cylinders of exhaust products which have not been expelled by the ascending pistons, the compressed air distributing device comprising a subdivided chamber fitted with poppet valves actuated in timed relationship by an overhead shaft or the like whereby to control the supply of air to the engine cylinders, there being one such valve for each pair of engine cylinders, and a regulating device interconnected with the carburetor throttle control mechanism for effecting regulation of the pressure of. the air being distributed.

2. In combination with an internal combustion engine, an air compressor driven from the crank shaft of said engine, an air reservoir connected to said air compressor,

a compressed air distributing valve device operated in synchronism with the engine valve gear and adapted to control the supply of compressed air to the engine cylinders, ensuring expulsion from the engine cylinders of exhaust products which have not been expelled by the ascending pistons, a regulating device interconnected with the carburetor throttle control mechanism for effecting regulation of the pressure of the air being distributed, the mechanism for regulating the admission of compressed air to the distributing valve device being operable, after the actuation of the throttle valve, to increased the compressed air supply without causing further actuation of said throttle valve.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JEAN KONSTANTINOFF. 

